Finding Floating Forests
If you have ever walked along the California coast, you’ve likely had to navigate around clumps of seaweed. Before it was thrown up by the surf and left to dry on the beach, that seeming jetsam was part of a majestic underwater forest just offshore.
Coloring the Sea around the Pribilof Islands
The Pribilofs are surrounded by nutrient-rich waters in the Bering Sea.
Two New Ocean Research Ships to Set Sail in 2015
Two new U.S. research ships will take to the seas in the Arctic and Atlantic in 2015, allowing scientists around the world to explore the geology, biology and health of the oceans.
Nicaragua Defies Canal Protests
Nicaragua has great expectations for the Grand Canal, a US$50-billion, 5-year project to link its Caribbean and Pacific coasts with a 280-kilometre waterway. But the plan has attracted protests from residents along the proposed route and from scientists around the world.
Australia’s Supertrawler Ban is Flawed, Say Environmental and Fishing Groups
The federal government’s ban on supertrawlers is inadequate because it defines ships only by size and not by industrial fishing capacity.
Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear Population Declined in the 2000s
In a new polar bear study published November 17th, 2014, scientists from the United States and Canada found that during the first decade of the 21st century, the number of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea experienced a sharp decline of approximately 40 percent.
Monster Boats in Kiribati
The fishing communities of Kiribati speak about their loss of livelihood and erosion of their culture at the hands of destructive and oversized fishing vessels operating under European flags, ownership or management. Overfishing is a global problem with alarming and indisputable consequences: 90% of global fish stocks are currently overexploited.
Green List Promotes Best Conservation Areas
Conservation groups often highlight species or ecosystems at risk. An effort launched on 14 November turns that approach on its head, seeking for the first time to systematically recognize the world’s best-managed protected areas, which offer the most favourable conditions for flora and fauna.
World on Track to Meet 2020 Goal for Protected Land, Sea, but More Work Urgently Needed
In 2010, the signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed on a 10 year strategic plan to halt biodiversity loss and ensure the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources.